What's new

PAF AW-139 getting ready in italy

latest

Air wolf and Red wolf...80's :-)

reminds me of airwolf!
that was Bell 222
 
Sure, forgot the first time, thanks for the reminder!

The message that they were delivered comes from the Italian enthusiast that tries to keep track of all AW helicopters:
http://www.aaa.dgualdo.it/prodlist/prod-aw139-04.htm
> scroll down to 31815/31816/31817/31820

Normally that means they were loaded into an An-124 at Milan-Malpensa on that date :-)

These are three of the four that were photographed during test flights:
https://www.airliners.net/photo/Pakistan-Air-Force/AgustaWestland-AW-139M/5127495/L
https://www.airliners.net/photo/Pakistan-Air-Force/AgustaWestland-AW-139M/5122201/L
https://www.airliners.net/photo/Pakistan-Air-Force/AgustaWestland-AW-139M/5100511/L

Does that answer your question?

So far 10 for paf assuming 2-3 per sqn between 3-5 sqn and mi-17 as well so old French allouette are pretty much gone paf had between 18-20 or so

Even mi-17 number is now close to 10ish I think [emoji848]

Based on number looks like paa is using aw-139 in vip role only

Additional aw-139 between 4-6 are with pak GOVT in civilian role crewed by paa
 
Last edited:
Still very low quantity for Army size of 500,000 Soldiers , really need 500 Choppers
Divided 100 choppers per province , stationed with 100,000 Troops
 
Good choice what actually they are replacing hope for good change prevailed
 
I think each operational airbase has no more than 2 SAR helos. most have 1.

After a closer look both helos have some differences. In the first pic. notice the slight bulge underneath the pilot entry/exit door, the bulge over the rear wheel well, and the bulge under the roundel.

All these three bulges are missing in the second pic.
Plenty of differences sir.
Note the engine exhaust, both have different exhausts. The number "16" on one window is also missing in one picture and also there is a clear bulge near the rear wheels under fuselage in one and the other one don't have it.
 
For t-129 I guess paa will adopt French mistral aam since it’s already with paf and pn , and may need qualifications
Mistral ATAM is different from the Mistral MANPAD that we are using, though it is based on the same so i guess the differences will be minimum. Still we will need to order new ATAM missiles for this.
 
Frankly I am at a loss for words as to why has PAF opted for this helicopter for SAR ops? First, its very expensive to own and maintain. Second, its too big a target to operate behind enemy lines in comparison to the Allouette. The best choice would have been the smaller and cheaper version AW109 or AW119 Koala that would have been almost the same size as an Allouette. Besides AW 139 is suitable for rescue ops within friendly territory and it can carry many casualties because of its large cabin size. PAF SAR is only operating to carry 1-2 casualties because of a downed aircraft. So again, 14 helicopters with each helicopter costing around US$8 million to a total cost of US$112M sounds extremely expensive for SAR ops for Pakistan that are few and far between anyways
 
SAR can also be conducted when say a Mi-17 goes down with a dozen soldiers. Do you want to make 6 trips to pick 2 at a time? AW139 is really a competitor/replacement in the long run for the SA.330J Pumas in Pakistan's service. It carries the same number of troops faster, at twice the distance and at higher elevations.
Lets also remember that PAF purchased these choppers after the US antics of not supplying us with UH-60s. So there was also political aspect to the decision, not to mention it also led us to strengthen our military ties with Italy, which could pay dividends down the road (we already got M-109s from them since then).

SA.316 was never a true SAR helicopter, even if PA/PAF used it in such a role, among others like training, recon/air observation, logistics & liaison etc. $12-15MM for an advanced helicopter is not a very steep price, especially if you are even considering 1 pilots life is worth a lot more. You can also see how many militaries have adapted this chopper, that speaks to its capabilities.
 
SAR can also be conducted when say a Mi-17 goes down with a dozen soldiers. Do you want to make 6 trips to pick 2 at a time? AW139 is really a competitor/replacement in the long run for the SA.330J Pumas in Pakistan's service. It carries the same number of troops faster, at twice the distance and at higher elevations.
Lets also remember that PAF purchased these choppers after the US antics of not supplying us with UH-60s. So there was also political aspect to the decision, not to mention it also led us to strengthen our military ties with Italy, which could pay dividends down the road (we already got M-109s from them since then).

SA.316 was never a true SAR helicopter, even if PA/PAF used it in such a role, among others like training, recon/air observation, logistics & liaison etc. $12-15MM for an advanced helicopter is not a very steep price, especially if you are even considering 1 pilots life is worth a lot more. You can also see how many militaries have adapted this chopper, that speaks to its capabilities.

How many a times an Mi-17 full of soldiers has gone down in PAF history to justify having 14 AW139 helicopters? And why not send another Mi-17 to do the job? Why do you need and AW139? So lets not justify using the wrong arguments for wrong reasons
 

Country Latest Posts

Back
Top Bottom